The available resources for solving various industrial, manufacturing, engineering or business problems are often limited by the few products and services available to efficiently, accurately, and cost-effectively monitor, analyze, and solve those problems. In most instances, the knowledge for resolving these problems is readily available, however, access to this knowledge is limited. For example, the availability of problem solving functions are often limited by the lack of available human capital to perform the in-depth analysis necessary to resolve such problems. In addition, the problems associated with industrial, manufacturing, engineering and business operations are often complex. For many types of complex problems more than one solution to the problem exist due to the complex relationship among the variables, factors and elements of the problem. Thus, complex problem solving often requires even more resources than more simple problems, such as those occurring around the common household.
In resolving the various business problems, generally a first step comprises identification of a “problem” or “issue”, which comprises a question or inquiry proposed for solution, decision or determination, such as any industrial, manufacturing, engineering or business problem or issue that one desires to resolve. For example, problems could include the need to increase the productivity on a manufacturing line, the need to conduct a valuation of facilities or property prior to sale or acquisition of the facilities or property, or the need to reduce the ergonomic, safety and health risks and injuries in the workplace.
Upon identification of a problem, information relating to, or defining, the problem generally needs to be collected to facilitate analysis and assessment of the information. This information is typically collected by the company at the request of various engineering or business consultants and experts, or collected directly by those consultants or experts. This information can include a wide variety of data, statistics, measurements and other like information relating to the problem to be assessed or analyzed. Further, the level of detail of the information can comprise various levels, such as low level information, for example, the number of devices to be manufactured, the number of hours of an employee on the job, or the number of rooms in a building, or high level information, such as the particular number of manufacturing delays resulting from operator error, the average price per square foot of like-sized building in the area, or the frequency and duration of particular arm movements of an employee within a given work shift.
Having collected and obtained various types and amounts of information relating to a problem, an analysis and assessment of the information can be conducted by the various engineering and business consultants, experts and the like who have developed a knowledge base relevant to the given problem or issue. Based on that knowledge base, various levels of analysis and assessment can be provided, such as a generalized analysis and assessment or a very detailed analysis and assessment which produces specific suggestions and recommendations tailored to addressing specific risks or factors, as well as the ability to predict costs and performance results from enacting the recommendations.
However, facilitating this issue identification, information collecting and assessment process can be a problem for many companies. For example, while many companies may have some internal staffing and the internal resources to learn the requisite knowledge to resolve many of these problems and issues internally, this learning process generally takes too much time. Companies may also attempt to develop their own knowledge base for resolving the problems and issues, however, these efforts often result in “re-inventing the wheel” in which the resulting development costs and time for development are greater than the option of hiring a consultant or expert. While obtaining the assistance of consultants and experts can reduce this time period, the associated costs in bringing a staff or group of consultants to collect information and analyze and assess the issues at the companies operations can be still be quite costly, and the availability of these consultants and experts is often less than the number of problems and issues needing resolved.
One area where the need to resolve engineering issues is increasing is in the field of ergonomics. Corporations are currently spending over $60 billion annually for compensable injuries in every type of work environment. Ergonomics awareness is increasing with rising illness and injury trends, an aging work force, more women in the work environment and large percentages of the work force being affected by cumulative trauma disorders (CTD) type injuries. These CTD type injuries are typically due to inadequately designed workstations, processes, equipment and tools. When designing a manufacturing process, very little attention is often paid to the workers' accommodation and environment based on the job requirements. This lack of job design knowledge is displayed in the injury/illness rates for workers' compensation claims, lost work time, quality issues and product liability claims.
The labor force in the U.S. is projected to increase by 15 million over the 1996–2006 period, from 134 million to 149 million, an increase of 11%. In addition to a growing workforce, the injury rates could increase over the next five years due to an aging working population and the addition of more women entering the workforce as both groups can often be more susceptible to injury and lost work time in the work environment. As an example of the need for ergonomic intervention when designing jobs, tools, workstations and equipment, it is expected that 48% of the employees in the U.S. by the year 2005 will be women. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1995). Further, it is expected that the U.S. labor force age group 45–64 years of age will grow faster than the labor force of any other age group as the baby-boom generation continues to age. As a result, the increase in the average age of the working population and the number of women entering the workforce precipitates the need for ergonomic engineering related services in many countries, including Japan. These expected problems reflect the need for ergonomic engineering services and products to assist global companies in reducing costs.
In addition, ergonomics is also receiving renewed attention in the workplace as companies and government realize its impact on productivity and worker safety and health. For example, on Feb. 19, 1999, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the publishing of a draft ergonomic standard that requires companies to perform an ergonomic workplace analysis after the occurrence of even a single cumulative trauma injury. Further, many companies have started their own ergonomic initiatives independent of government regulations to realize the cost savings and productivity gains associated with a health workforce.
As a result of the foregoing, the total market for ergonomic services and analysis products is expected to grow rapidly fueled by the growth in ergonomic awareness, government regulations, and gains in productivity realized from the reduction in workplace injuries. Unfortunately, there are few products and services available to efficiently, accurately, and cost-effectively monitor, analyze, and solve problems relating to the workplace and resulting products. Moreover, since these cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) type injuries are not single event oriented, the simple monitoring of such past events can not provide a very effective means for reducing and preventing these type of injuries.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved method and system for assessing and resolving various engineering and business solutions that overcomes the problems described above. In addition, a need exist for a method and system to reduce and prevent not only single event-type accidents and injuries in the workplace, but also these cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) type injuries.